Patna, the state capital of Bihar, must be busy in the arrangement of the global meet (Barat, as friend of mine told me on when I referred to the show) being held in Patna between January 19 and 21. It’s really the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s show, though Institute of Human Development and a Patna-based news portal, bihartimes.com, in collaboration with the state government, are organizing it.

The President will inaugurate and the Mauritius Prime Minister, Navin Ramgopal may likely be the guest-of-honour at the meet. As expected, some 500 delegates, mostly eminent NRIs and experts from different fields will participate in the three-day meet. I wish I could have been in Patna at this time. However, I have some views and I hope Bihartimes.com will put my ideas to the concerned forum where that fits right.

Like every one else, I wish and pray that the show satisfies and yields the expected results for all the stakeholders.

Mauritius-the ‘Crown jewel’ built by Bihari immigrants

Let me start with Mauritius. Bihar and Mauritius has a special relation. I still remember my Presidency College days. Sometime in 1956, I had met some students in Calcutta Medical College who were from Mauritius. Their ancestors went from a place near my maternal village Kwath, near Dawath in Rohtas to Mauritius. I still remember the warmth of the meeting.

I find Mauritius tops the FDI in India. I don’t know what it is, but if it is true why can’t it come to Bihar? Bihar is trying to make sugar sector as its main industry. Is there something that Bihar can get from Mauritius in technology related to sugar cane cultivation and sugar-based industries? Few months back, someone from Mauritius contacted me to find out the village of her ancestors. Can’t a website be set up by a government agency to help such people?

However, keeping in mind the history of immigration to Mauritius, I suggest there must a Pravashi Bhawan (Complex) in Patna with facilities such as guesthouse, library, convention hall, and a cultural museum. On the same line, at Port Luis, a Bihar Bhawan should be established.

USA- the Destination of new generation immigrants

I am sure, maximum number of immigrants participating in the NRB (Non Resident Bihari) show will be from USA. And when it comes to how can they help Bihar, I think they must start from their own village, town, or district headquarters. It will give a permanency to their link. And many of the NRIs from US will be in position to adopt and support a school or health center and making them the model with the latest technological input. Every school in Bihar must double as skill building center too. Every child of Bihar must have training in one or the other skill such as electrician, plumber, carpenter, nursing, tailoring, knitting, or as artisan besides his conventional schooling. Bihar must export only skilled labour force and not only illiterate menial workers that are more vulnerable to be exploited.

Can the entrepreneurs among NRBs devise a model for rural enterprises for apparel, handicraft, food-processing enterprises that can employ the rural men and women from all households to bring them above poverty line? Can’t Madhubani printed artifacts and Bhagalpur’s silk be expanded to provide more employment? The main task is to create jobs in rural Bihar, and all must think of it.

Can someone in Patna start an on-line service facility to help NRBs on line of ‘your man in India’?

And those from USA can also get into an outsourcing business related to e-tution, legal, and medical professions where Bihar seems to be having a lot of underutilized manpower and setup enterprises in Patna or other cities that can provide a lot of employment to educated class and bring Bihar on BPO map.

And lastly, I shall like to sell a dream project that has been talked about by our President, Prime Minister, and many celebrities- Nalanda International University. Let it not remain just a dream. Let all who associate with Bihar in any way make it realized.

Can NRBs be made to imagine of an 8-lane Super Expressway connecting Vaishalli with Boddha Gaya with Patliputra, Nalanda, and Rajgrih on its route and creating a corridor of excellence studded with 100 educational institutes of higher learning of different specialized subjects gifted by 100 countries of the world?

For the organizers and the government

I wish, the organizers and the host Bihar government-

1. To take NRBs (at least those who are interested) to Nalanda and Boddha Gaya for an outing and also to find out what can be done to develop both the places as world-class tourist destinations

2. To arrange a short trip to some typical villages nearby so that they can assess for themselves what the rural Bihar expects from them

3. To handover a roadmap of Bihar 2020 with the listing of the projects, agencies responsible, and estimated time frame for the completion

4. To come out with an advisory council of interested and reputed NRBs to generate ideas, and action plans on the development of Bihar

5. To create a website that can provide the performance and progress of Bihar’s critical projects and other information as well as to provide interactions between the stakeholders

6. To request government agencies and administration in Bihar to respond to queries and suggestions from the well wishers of Bihar

7. To keep the speech making by the ministers and bureaucrats to minimum and to allow the participants guests to come out with their ideas at the meet

Let God make the global meet a grand success.

PS: Any one can contact me at irsharma@gmail.com for explanation of any of my suggestions.